Wildlife Vets Namibia

13/11/2025

This adult rhino bull had a large swollen lump on his bum. He was darted and the lump was opened... some some juicy content came out, puss!

The abscess was likely formed after he was dart vaccinated before. Rhinos have thick tough skin, which can be up to 5 cm in some areas! The skin protects them, but at the same time their skin can make it easier for an abscess to form. If a wound occurs, for example from a dart or horn poke, the thick skin can trap bacteria inside. Instead of draining easily, the infection gets sealed off. The immune system responds by sending white blood cells to fight the bacteria, but in the process, dead cells, bacteria, and tissue debris start to accumulate. The body then walls off the area to contain the infection, creating a pus-filled pocket: an abscess.

In rhinos, abscesses can go unnoticed for a while because the swelling may be deep and slow to show. The abscess was opened, thoroughly cleaned and rinsed, and he received long-acting antibiotics.

11/11/2025

Whohooo!! We have been nominated for the prestigious Worldwide Vets Golden Star Award. What an incredible honour!

Voting is nearly closed, so if you have not voted yet, now is the time! You can vote for both of us (just click both names ✅) via the link below. If we win, £500 goes to our chosen charity, the Rhino Momma Project. A project close to our hearts, who are working tirelessly to protect Namibia’s rhinos. Let’s bring the Golden Star to Namibia this year! 🇳🇦

Voting closes 13 November 👉 https://www.worldwide-vets.org/goldenstaraward

Thank you 😃💚

08/11/2025

Please note that the Veterinary Association of Namibia Congress 2025 still has some space available for the Sunday Breakfast Sessions:
🐶🐱 Small Animal Dermatology: Itchy cats, Ringworm in shelters, Case discussions
🦏🦌 Wildlife: Diarrhoea in rhino calves, Impaction colic in rhinos, Discussions: disease reporting and more

Even if you are not attending the congress, you are still welcome to attend these few sessions. Register by Sunday 9th November 2025, 23h59.

🗓️ 20-22 November
📍 Arebbusch Travel Lodge

Follow the links below to register ✅

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfPTUOjTww4rHIliHKafB0h0-bsTDqwasbwBC6YR-xEYIll4g/viewform?usp=header

Banking Details: Beneficiary: VAN First National Bank Account Nr: 62256015465 Branch: Ausspannplatz Code: 280272 Early bird special for VAN Members and SADC Veterinary Association Members ends 6th of October 2025 (proof of Association Membership required). RSVP before the 1st of November 2025. Pleas...

06/11/2025

Officially the Supermoon was yesterday, but this evening it is still very impressive!

A supermoon is not bigger than usual, but it for sure does look like it! This is because the moon is closer to Earth than normal when there is a full moon. The moon appears fuller, bigger and brighter.

Thanks OnePlus, this phone does not only capture our work, but it is also incredibly good at night photography!

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06/11/2025

Last month we had the privilege to work with a truly unique animal… the brown oryx! Unlike the common oryx with its pale grey coat and black and white markings, the brown oryx has a deep brown-reddish coat. It is a naturally occurring variation, that blends in perfectly in the area.

Our Namibian oryx are one of the toughest antelopes out there, and they take a high dose of immobilizing drugs to safely handle them. These impressive antelopes weigh around 200 kg!

A big thank you to Schönfeld Safaris for trusting us with your animals, Du Preez Wild for the excellent helicopter service and to the people who helped with the capture and loaded these animals... we hope that the muscle aches did not last too long! 💪😉

05/11/2025

🎉 Happy Birthday Frederick! 🎉

Frederick is our foreman, our right-hand man, and the quiet force behind countless game capture and translocation missions. From capture to offloading, he is the one who makes sure every animal arrives safe and sound, even if the journey is over 3,000 km long!

📹🦌🇨🇩 Check here our Frederick drove animals all the way from Namibia to the DRC! https://youtu.be/r1qlMcOWYJc?si=XeG1IaiDha6e6Xx4

Frederick, may your birthday be filled with good company, and hopefully a well-earned break from the toolbox😉

04/11/2025

Whohooo!! Both Dr Ulf and Mariska have been nominated for the prestigious Worldwide Vets Golden Star Award. What a huge honour!

You can vote for both of us (click both names ✅) via the link below. If we win, £500 goes to our chosen charity, the Rhino Momma Project. A project close to our hearts, who are working tirelessly to protect Namibia’s rhinos. Let’s bring the Golden Star to Namibia this year! 🇳🇦

Voting is open until 13 November 👉 https://www.worldwide-vets.org/goldenstaraward

Thank you 😃💚

04/11/2025

The Veterinary Association of Namibia Annual Scientific Congress 2025 is open for vets, vet nurses, health technicians, vet students etc. Registration is open for a little longer, so this is your last chance! We hope to see you there!

🗓️ 20-22 November
📍 Arebbusch Travel Lodge

Follow the links below to register ✅

Congress Registration Link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfPTUOjTww4rHIliHKafB0h0-bsTDqwasbwBC6YR-xEYIll4g/viewform?usp=header

Half-Day Congress Registration Link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSea-6fARvAUgXQhLswRihXJqWd0Byyw0fkTrzg7k3gVuWIhwg/viewform?usp=header

01/11/2025

🦏 BREAKING: A Lifeline for Rhinos!

South Africa’s Northern Cape High Court ruled that rhino horn harvested from registered captive breeding operations may be legally exported internationally.

The horns must come from ethically harvested horns (e.g. from dehorning procedures). You can compare rhino horn with your finger nails, after you trimmed it, it grows back.

The legal trade in rhino horn must be based on traceability. Let's compare it to the diamond trade, there are systems in place that trace, certify and regulate the trade. But still, certificates can be forged or swapped. Rhino horn has the advantage that we can extract DNA from it. And DNA does not lie. Currently, every rhino that we immobilize for the first time, we take DNA from (blood, tissue and hair). This gets send to the RhODIS lab in South-Africa. Here they have build a rhino DNA database, so the DNA of each rhino we have immobilized, is in here. This DNA database links each horn to a specific animal and location. Currently this system is used for when horns are found, we can backtrack where they came from, and hopefully get the guys behind the poaching incident. With a legal trade in horn, thanks to the DNA database we can track the horn from origin to destination, and we can detect illegal horns. The unregulated black market trade we have now, is chaos. Rhinos are killed for it. With a legal, well regulated trade, we build a paper trail (DNA trail), that cannot be faked. Revenue will flow back into rhino conservation, and will fund better protection, better care, and increase rhino habitat - and ultimately rhino populations.

Read the full article via Daily Maverick:
👉 https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-10-31-rhino-horn-harvested-from-captive-breeding-operations-can-be-exported-high-court-rules/

01/11/2025

Head over to www.wildlifevetsnamibia to explore our work!

30/10/2025

This lion male had to be relocated to another area. Since he was quite skittish, we needed to call in a helicopter. Not an easy task; lions are fast, agile, and masters at dodging and changing direction. You can imagine when a chopper is tailing you, it will trigger a massive adrenaline surge.

Adrenaline can delay the effect of immobilizing drugs, which means it takes longer for the lion to fall asleep. That is why we usually increase the dose of immobilizing drugs when darting lions from the helicopter. It is a delicate balance ⚖️ If the dose is too low, the lion might run for a long time before going down. Long runs can lead to overheating and muscle damage. But on the other side, if the dose is too high, it can lead to anaesthetic complications which might affect the heart rate and breathing.

The lion was successfully moved, it is always a privilege to work with these big predators!

Thanks Pneu-Dart Inc., we really needed the accuracy of the X-Caliber, this lion was full of twists and turns! 🎯😉

Thanks OnePlus, thanks to this amazing phone we are able to document our work!